Haldipur, Karim run riot
ROHIT JOSHI

VADODARA, JANUARY 19: As the team was flavoured, it turned out to be an India discard and an India hopeful -- Saba Karim (102 not out: 89b, 10x4, 2x6) and Nikhil Haldipur (127 not out: 113b, 14x4), -- who cracked explosive centuries to power East Zone to a seven-wicket victory over Central Zone in the Deodhar Trophy opener at the IPCL ground here on Wednesday.

In a mind blowing display of run-scoring, East chased a target of 306 runs successfully, but what's even more astonishing is they did it with all of 10 overs to spare, completely eclipsing Jaiprakash Yadav's 107-ball 128 (17x4, 2x6) made earlier for Central.

On the veritable batting paradise, openers Haldipur and Shiv Sunder Das gave East a scorching start, the 50 coming up in the fifth over, the 100 in the 10th and the 150 before it was time to shift the fielders outside the inner circle.

Scoreboard

Central Zone: Jyoti Yadav b Zaman 8 (10b, 18m, 2x4), Gagan Khoda c Haldipur b Chatterjee 40 (59b, 101m, 5x4), Jai Prakash Yadav c Zaman bChatterjee 128 (107b, 164m, 17x4, 2x6), Amay Khurasia c&b Chatterjee 38 (69b, 73m, 2x4), Abbas Ali c Raul b Chatterjee 10 (13b, 16m), Devendra Bundela c&b Zaman 45 (27b, 28m, 2x4, 3x6), Gyanendra Pandey not out 14 (14b, 28m, 1x4), Manoj Mudgal run out 3 (2b, 5m), Harvinder Singh Sodhi not out 1 (1b, 2m). Extras: (b2, lb2, w10, nb4) 18. Total: (for seven wickets in 50 overs) 305
Fall of wickets: 1-12 (J Yadav), 2-111 (Khoda), 3-219 (Khurasia), 4-231 (JP Yadav), 5-251 (Ali), 6-297 (Bundela), 7-302 (Mudgal)
Bowling: Zaman 9-0-71-2, Shukla 10-1-52-0, Panda 7-0-38-0, Chatterjee 10-1-53-4, Mullick 1-0-13-0, Gavaskar 6-0-39-0, Raul 7-0-35-0.

East Zone: Shiv Sunder Das run out 49 (37b, 52m, 7x4, 1x6), Nikhil Haldipur not out 127 (113b, 187m, 14x4), Rohan Gavaskar run out 5 (3b, 3m, 1x4), Prabhanjan Mullick c Bundela b Sodhi 7 (8b, 11m, 1x4), Saba Karim not out 102 (89b, 116m, 10x4, 2x6). Extras: (lb2, w10, nb7) 19. Total: (for three wickets in 40.1 overs)309
Fall of wickets: 1-107 (Das), 2-112 (Gavaskar), 3-134 (Mullick)
Bowling: Sodhi 5-0-51-1, Zaidi 5-0-41-0, Karthik 10-0-71-0, JP Yadav 2-0-12-0, Pandey 7-0-61-0, Ali 5.1-0-34-0, Khoda 6-0-37-0.

Copyright © 2000 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.